Progressives may have a stronger hand than they thought: Stupak amendment brought in only 6-10 votes -- Reid's speed round: Sections of bill hashed out privately to try to meet Christmas deadlineBy:
CHRIS FRATES
on November 11, 2009 @ 5:49 AM

It’s Wednesday. “Oh, say can you Pulse?” Pulse remembers and thanks our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

HARRY READIES FOR OPENING MOVE — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has punched the clock on the game of 3-D speed chess that he’s about to begin on the Senate floor. Reid filed a procedural motion yesterday that will allow him to begin debate on Tuesday, after the Senate returns from recess. Granted, Reid has yet to actually release a bill, round up 60 votes or even get a full CBO cost estimate. But some insiders think that Reid has been crafting and scoring bits and pieces of his bill in private as he works to assuage the concerns of individual members. And with the White House bearing down on him to put a bill on the president’s desk by Christmas, there is speculation that Reid may be working with the White House and even the House leadership to make sure that large chunks of his legislation are agreeable to all sides. With so little time left on the clock, Reid needs to optimize agreement and minimize dissent as much as possible. And with debate slated to begin next week, Reid has laid out an aggressive schedule, including the possibility of six-day workweeks next month and a work weekend before senators split for Thanksgiving recess. Still, many Democrats believe finishing a bill in time to meet President Obama’s year-end deadline remains a stretch.

EVIDENCE OF PhRMA’S SWEET DEAL — TNR’s Jonathan Cohn reports: “Critics have complained that a drug industry got a sweetheart deal when it struck a bargain with the White House and Senate Finance Committee over health care reform. There’s new reason to think those critics were right. It comes from an October forecast by IMS Health, a respected global research and consulting firm. The report, which IMS distributed to clients and which a source provided, projects that the drug industry will see average annual growth of 3.5 percent between 2008 and 2013. Back in March, IMS had projected no growth at all during that same five-year stretch. In fact, it projected the drug business would actually contract slightly--with negative annual growth of 0.01 percent. What changed? A major factor, according to IMS, was the emerging details of health care reform.”

CARPER CRAFTING A COMPROMISE, report CongressDaily’s Dan Friedman and Anna Edney: “Even as Senate Majority Leader Reid seeks votes for a healthcare bill with a public option that states can opt-out of, Reid has allowed Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., to work on what one aide called a ‘Plan B’ if Reid cannot line up 60 votes for cloture. In states where private insurers fail to offer affordable coverage, Carper said the alternative would permit them to set up a non-profit board, likely appointed by the president, to offer insurance. ‘That kind of approach might come close to hitting a sweet spot for a lot of people,’ said Carper, noting the approach ‘addresses concerns about government-owned, government-run.’ The plan would be a form of a so-called trigger option pushed by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and some Democratic moderates. Moderates have been meeting to coordinate some of their efforts on the overhaul. A senior Democratic aide said that some senators ‘think of [Carper’s alternative] as a centered solution … in between what the current plan is and the trigger.’ … Staffers have tried to keep Carper's alternative quiet due to concerns that publicity could draw attacks from liberal activists, which could complicate efforts to line up support from the full Democratic caucus.”

Progressives may have a stronger hand than they thought: Stupak amendment brought in only 6-10 votes -- Reid's speed round: Sections of bill hashed out privately to try to meet Christmas deadline

REID STARTS THE CLOCK — POLITICO’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday took the first procedural step necessary to begin debate on the health care reform bill next week. Reid started the Rule 14 process, which essentially means the majority leader is getting into a procedural position to open debate on the bill. Reid could schedule a vote on the motion to proceed — the crucial test vote that requires 60 senators — as early as Tuesday. ‘But that does not mean that is when we are going to the bill,’ Reid spokesman Jim Manley cautioned. Reid's action Tuesday is noteworthy, but it's more about Senate procedure than a signal that the bill is immediately forthcoming.”

“YES AND YES” — NYT’s David Herszenhorn reports: “The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Tuesday that he expected to bring major health care legislation to the floor next week and to complete work on the bill before Christmas. But other Democratic leaders said it was unlikely that a bill could reach President Obama’s desk by year’s end. … Former President Bill Clinton attended the Senate Democrats’ weekly lunch on Tuesday to urge them to pass the bill quickly, in a visit that seemed intended especially to encourage centrist Democrats who have yet to commit their support, including Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Mr. Clinton’s native state. … Asked at a news conference if he would get the bill on the floor next week and completed by the holiday recess, Mr. Reid offered a terse reply: ‘Yes and yes.’ But aides said there was still much uncertainty, and Senate Democrats have repeatedly missed self-imposed deadlines on the health bill. The aides said Mr. Reid was aiming to vote on bringing the bill to the floor before the Senate leaves for Thanksgiving.”

DONE AND DONE — POLITICO’s Jonathan Allen and Patrick O’Connor report on the horse trading that put the House bill over the finish line: “Rep. Dennis Cardoza … (got) a last-minute provision authorizing up to $500 million to create medical centers that could benefit a college in Cardoza’s California district. … Reps. Baron Hill of Indiana and Dan Maffei of New York were among a clutch of junior members who clamored for a promise that Democratic leaders would work to reduce a 2.5 percent tax on medical device manufacturers. Done. Freshman Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) needed some reassurances that his issues — cost containment and comparative effectiveness — would get more attention in the House-Senate conference. Even a phone call from President Barack Obama didn’t fully reassure him, until after more talks with House leaders. But in the end, done. Two first-year members, Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania and Larry Kissell of North Carolina, asked Pelosi to allow unmarried adults under the age of 27 to secure coverage under their parents' plans. Done. And Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) had serious doubts with key parts of the bill, but wanted a promise from leadership that they would be addressed in the House-Senate conference. Done. But not every deal sought was a deal granted. Numerous Democratic aides said a handful of lawmakers tried to use their votes as leverage to upgrade to a better committee assignment. Those were a no-go, leadership aides said — usually summarily dismissed. And in contrast with some bills — like the recent cap-and-trade vote, an even harder vote for some key members and one where far more deals were struck — House leaders often were able to appeal to the members’ sense of history, or their desire to improve health coverage for constituents, without having to resort to concrete promises to secure votes.”

MUST READ — PolitiFact has a good analysis on the Stupak amendment that truth-squads Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey’s statement that the amendment “puts new restrictions on women's access to abortion coverage in the private health insurance market even when they would pay premiums with their own money." It finds it FALSE.

CLYBURN SAYS STUPAK WON 10 VOTES, reports POLITICO’s Chris Frates: “House Majority Whip James Clyburn said on MSNBC that the Stupak amendment won the bill 10 votes, not the 40 that had been bandied about on Saturday. ‘It was not 40 votes that we were trying to get with this amendment, it was 10 votes, and that's the fact. This language took us across the threshold of 218, but it was 10 people, it wasn't 40 people as has been reported. ... Without that language, we were around 212, 214.’ If that is the case, it could change the dynamic of the debate and give progressives a stronger hand than many thought they had. It's easier to reverse a provision that only wins 10 votes -- and angers a good chunk of the Democratic caucus -- than one that makes or breaks the bill. In other words, it's easier to win four or six votes than it is to grab 38.”

OPT-OUT ALREADY SEEING STATE ACTION, reports NYT’s Kevin Sack from Hotlanta: “In the two weeks since the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, embraced a proposal that would allow states to opt out of a new government health insurance plan, state leaders have begun debating whether to take part, and the question has emerged as a litmus test in some campaigns for governor. … Several state officials said that if Mr. Reid’s proposal carries the day, many governors are likely to accept the new plan rather than incite an ideological battle mirroring the fight in Congress. Governors have other concerns about the health care legislation, particularly whether states will be left holding the bag for a vast expansion of Medicaid. But many see little to gain from denying constituents an insurance option that could help slow the growth of premiums at no immediate cost to the state. … But in some conservative states, the public option — which critics portray as the camel’s nose under the tent of fully nationalized medicine — is such an anathema that lawmakers and governors may choose to stand against it. Lawmakers in 11 states have introduced measures to block other elements of the federal legislation, like mandates that individuals have insurance and that most employers provide it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.”

HOUSE “NO” VOTES GET HEAT, reports POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “Democrats who thought a vote against the sweeping health care package would inoculate them from political attack are facing serious blowback from angry constituents and interest groups on the left — fierce opposition that could prove as consequential as anything Republicans could have thrown at them. For some of 39 House Democrats who opposed the bill, there are protests outside their offices and promises of retribution. For others, there are attempts to shut off their campaign money spigot. Still more are about to get drilled in a television ad campaign paid for by Democratic donors. What they’ve all discovered is that there’s no safe harbor when it comes to the $1.2 trillion measure that the House passed Saturday. Darcy Burner, executive director of the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation, said that the anger over the vote was a natural outgrowth of the value liberals have placed on the health care push. ‘I think, for the most part, the Democrats who voted ‘no’ on the health bill and who are getting heat deserve it,’ said Burner.”

AND REPUBLICANS RALLY THE ’ROOTS, reports POLITICO’s Manu Raju: “Republicans are looking to resurrect the angry town halls of August in the last few weeks of November. Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander said Republicans are ‘quietly’ planning some 50 in-person and telephone town hall gatherings over the next three weeks to drum up opposition to Democratic health care bills. Republicans believe this effort will pick up new urgency once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) releases his long-awaited bill — possibly next week. There may be more town hall events in December, but they would become harder to schedule if the Senate stays in session six days a week to try to finish the bill by year’s end.”

BUBBA SAYS GIT’ER DONE — WaPo’s Shailagh Murray: “Former president Bill Clinton urged Senate Democrats on Tuesday to resolve their differences with a health-care bill and pass an overhaul as soon as possible. Summoning the lessons of his own history with health-care reform, Clinton warned, ‘The worst thing to do is nothing.’ Clinton's appearance at a caucus luncheon came three days after President Obama delivered a similar message to House members, after which the House passed its health-care bill. Clinton noted the grim consequences of the failed reform effort 15 years ago, when he was in office: Democrats lost control of Congress in that year's midterm elections, health-care costs skyrocketed, and the rate of Americans without insurance continued to rise. This time, the former president admonished, senators should compromise for the sake of a deal.”

BUT NELSON SEES A DOWNSIDE TO ACTION, per WSJ’s Naftali Bendavid and Janet Adamy: “‘Failure could be passing a bad bill,’ said Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. … Democratic leaders want their members to refrain from making non-negotiable demands, fearing that will undercut the bill before it even comes to the floor. If the Senate begins considering the bill, Democratic leaders hope the ensuing amendments and horse-trading will produce legislation that eases many senators' concerns.”

MAINE AS A TEST KITCHEN — NYT’s Gardiner Harris reports: “Maine is the Charlie Brown of health care. The state’s legislators have tried for decades to fix its system, but their efforts have always fallen short: health insurance premiums are still among the least affordable in the nation, health care spending per person is among the highest and hospital emergency rooms are among the most crowded. Indeed, many overhauls to the system have done little more than squeeze a balloon — solving one problem while worsening another. But like the Peanuts character, the state keeps trying. Indeed, Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Maine’s senior United States senator and so far one of only two Republicans in Congress to vote for an overhaul, spent two years in the late 1970s as chairwoman of the State Legislature’s joint Health and Human Services Committee pushing small reform efforts. ‘That’s where I garnered an enormous deference to the issue of health care and its complexities,’ Ms. Snowe said in an interview. Maine’s history is a cautionary tale for national health reform. The state could never figure out how to slow the spiraling increase in medical costs, hobbling its efforts to offer more people insurance coverage. Many on Capitol Hill have criticized national reform legislation for similarly doing little to tame costs.”

Reader's Comments (1)

And the same progressives will be bounced out of congress and the law they pass repealed before the ink is dry in 2013. This is to important to everybody for it to become a secret horse training reunion between political cronies.ennovi

Before you start composing please note that you will need to be a registered user of Politico.com to "join the conversation". If you are not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Register Now!

Reply To Thread

Title:
Progressives may have a stronger hand than they thought: Stupak amendment only brought in 6-10 votes -- Reid's speed round: Sections of bill hashed out privately to try to meet Christmas deadline